PION3ERS vs Spark Foundry

Pion3ers and Rewe detail CTV frequency capping case study

German agency Pion3ers and retailer Rewe have detailed a Connected TV (CTV) campaign that used frequency capping to limit how often individual viewers saw the same ad. According to the agency, the 'Hack Yourself' campaign, billed as the world's first TV frequency capping effort, achieved a 39% increase in awareness of the Rewe app and an 18% rise in app downloads. The system used CTV data to identify when a user was exceeding a set contact frequency and replaced the ad in real time with another campaign's spot to optimize the use of ad placements. The case study, however, lacks details on the measurement period, comparison groups, and calculation methods, and the reported metrics should be treated as the agency's own claims. Industry bodies IAB Tech Lab and IAB Europe note that CTV measurement faces challenges such as restricted device access and server-side ad insertion, and that transparent standards are needed to build trust.

• Pion3ers and Rewe launched a CTV campaign using frequency capping to control ad exposure.
• The campaign was described as the world's first TV frequency capping effort.
• The campaign achieved a 39% increase in Rewe app awareness and an 18% increase in app downloads.

Former Telekom Media Chief: Advertisers Must Price in Bots

At the AGF Forum in Frankfurt, Norman Wagner, Managing Director of Pion3ers and former media chief at Deutsche Telekom, demonstrated live how easy it is to create a fully AI-generated magazine and generate fake traffic using bots. He argued that a majority of online content and traffic now comes from bots, making it extremely difficult for advertisers to measure true reach and effectiveness. Wagner believes that technology alone cannot solve the problem and instead advocates for 'common sense' and independent measurement. He suggests that walled gardens that do not allow independent verification should face a price discount. He also highlighted the potential of AI in contextual brand safety, noting that keyword-based negative lists incorrectly classify 70% of news environments as unsuitable.

• Norman Wagner, former media chief at Deutsche Telekom and Managing Director of Pion3ers, demonstrated live at AGF Forum how to generate invalid traffic with bots on an AI-generated website.
• Wagner claims that since November 2024, the majority of online content is created by AI.
• He argues that advertisers must 'price in' bot traffic, meaning inventory with no independent measurement should be worth less.

Penny Rewards Funny TikTok Comments with Shopping Vouchers

German discount supermarket chain Penny has launched an interactive TikTok campaign called 'Comment Coupons' to reward users who post particularly funny and creative comments on its videos. Running from June 1 to the end of September, the campaign uses a proprietary AI scoring system to evaluate comments based on community resonance and content relevance, assigning voucher values of 10, 25, or 50 euros. So far, over 4,000 comments have been rewarded with a total of 45,000 euros in vouchers. The campaign was developed by lead creative agency Saint Elmo's, with social media execution by Charles & Charlotte, media planning by Pion3ers, and AI support from Plan.Net Belgium. Digital out-of-home billboards in eight German cities also displayed rewarded comments. The initiative aims to strengthen Penny's brand platform 'Echte Freude' (Real Joy).

• Penny launched the 'Comment Coupons' campaign on June 1, running until end of September.
• The campaign rewards funny TikTok comments with vouchers worth up to 50 euros.
• Over 4,000 comments have been rewarded with a total of 45,000 euros in vouchers.

Southwest Airlines tackles burnout culture in first campaign under new marketing chief

Spark Foundry is recognized as the media agency supporting the broader rollout of Southwest Airlines’ new Enter Airplane Mode platform, the airline’s first major...

DQ Puts Mascots Front and Center for College Football Ad Play

Spark Foundry provided paid social support for Dairy Queen’s college football campaign, which used popular collegiate mascots to promote the brand’s limited-time...